Illuminated decoration for burial caskets



Get. 29, i935. R. s. MINKl-:L

ILLUMINATED DECORATION FOR BURIAL CASKETS 2 Sheets-Sheet l I Filed July 2, 1934 INVENTOR.

A T0 EYS.

J'gfg.

Rel/en wel; sym

Oct. 29, 1935. R. s. MINKEL.

ILLUMINATED DECORATION FOR BURIAL CASKETS Filed July 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNIT E D Si A'ENT OFFIE ILLUMINATED DECORATION FOR BURIAL CASKETS 2 Claims.

This invention relates to burial casket decoration, and particularly to an illuminated decorating device for the interior of a casket lid.

An important object of the invention is to provide a novel and advantageous decorating device for this purpose, which is of unique and highly attractive and pleasing appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a casket lid, whose interior is provided with any l0 suitable form of interior surface decoration or trimming, formed of silk or other fabric, and which, when illuminated by a source of light disposed rearwardly of the surface decoration or trimming means, displays an illuminated design which is more or less diifusely visible through said surface decoration or trimming but, when not so illuminated, presents the appearance of a conventional decorated casket lid in which said design is invisible.

A further object of this invention is to provide a decorative device of the type above described, in which the design adapted to be illuminated by light transmitted therethrough is so-mounted on the lid as to be readily removable or interchangeable, thus permitting the casket lid to be `equipped with any one of a number of different designs.

A characteristic feature of this invention consists in the provision of a surface covering of silk or other fabric or any other suitable semitranslucent material, having such light-transmitting characteristics as to be translucent to light transmitted forwardly therethrough but substantially opaque when viewed under reliected light, `that is, under light striking the forward surface thereof, said covering having a pleasing surface appearance and being provided if desired with any desired decorative or trimming effect, a design device in the nature of a transparency disposed rearwardly of said covering, and

a source of light disposed within the casket lid and rearwardly of said design device. When said source of light is illuminated, the transparency design becomes visible through the surface covering but, when said source is not illuminated, the transparency design is substantially invisible, since the surface covering is substantially opaque by reflected light, and the surface covering, with any decoration or trimming with which the same is provided, has the conventional appearance of 50 a decorated casket lid.

The advantages of this arrangement, together with other objects and advantageous features of the present invention, will be more fully explained hereinafter, with reference to the accom- 55 panving drawings, in which:

(Cl. L10-132) Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a casket provided with a decorating device according to the present invention, the lid being shown in open position.

Fig. 2 is a front View of the casket lid, with the fabric covering and trimming means removed 5 therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3--3 in Fig. 2, with the fabric covering and trimming means in position.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4 in Fig. 2, 10 with the fabric covering and trimming means in position.

Fig. 5 is a rear View of the removable panel on which the decorating device of this -invention is provided. l5

Fig. 6 is a rear View of the removable panel showing a modified type of decorating device.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line 1--1 in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a front view of a removable panel provided with another form of decorative device. 20 Fig. 9 is a vertical section on line 9 9 in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a rear View of a removable panel provided with another form of decorative device.

Fig. 11 is a vertical section on line Il--II in Fig 10. 25 Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view on line l2--I2 in Fig. 1l.Y

In Fig. 1, a conventional form of burial casket is shown at I, said casket being provided with the usual lid 2 hingedly mounted thereon and 30 provided with a suitable stay rod 4 for holding the same in raise-d or open position. It will be understood that the casket I may be of any suitable construction and design, and ythat the particular design of the casket shown in the drawings forms no part of the present invention. When the lid 2 is in raised or open position, as shown, the inner face of said lid is disposed forwardly, and this face will be hereinafter referred to as the forward face thereof.

The general construction of the lid is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, said lid comprising a rounded or curved rear wall 5 and end walls 6 o-f such position and configuration that, when the lid is closed will conform to the shape of the cover portion i of the casket. The inner or forward face of the rear Wall 5 is shown as inwardly concave in shape, as indicated at 'l so as to provide a recess 8 within the lid. The specific shape and construction of the lid, however, form no essential part of the present invention, it being merely necessary to provide a recess of some sort within the lid.

The decorating device of the present invention is preferably mounted upon a panel 9 which is 55 removably mounted in suitable position so as to form a portion of the forward face of the lid. Said panel is shown as comprising a frame I0 formed of wood or other suitable material, providing a support for the decorating device and also providing an open area I I to permit viewing of said device by light transmitted through said open area. Said panel and frame may be of any suitable shape and may be positioned at any suitable portion of the area of the forward face of the li-d, it being understood that the particular shape and relative disposition of this panel shown in the drawings is not essential to the present invention. The panel 9 is shown as removably secured to the lid by means of inwardly projecting lugs i2 secured to frame I0 at opposite sides thereof and removably engaging spring clips I3 secured to the lid. In order to more rigidly support and position the panel, I also prefer to provide supporting strips I4 secured to the rear wall 5 of the lid and conforming to the shape of the side members of the panel frame I0, and the spring clips I3 are shown as mounted upon said supporting strips.

rlhe forward face of the lid, outside the area occupied by the panel 9, is provided with a suitable covering I1 formed of silk or other suitable fabric, secured at its edges to the walls of the lid 2 and also secured to the supporting strips ifi in any suitable manner. Said covering I1 may be formed and mounted so as to provide any desired surface decoration` or trimming effect, and a border of ruching or any other suitable trimming means may be provided around the edges thereof, as shown at 2I. The space between the rear wall 5 of the lid and the cover I1, outside the space enclosed between the two supporting strips I is preferably filled with suitable padding material 22 so as to hold the covering material I1 in smooth position.

The form of decorating device shown in Figs. l to 5 inclusive comprises a sheet of paper or the like shown at 25, bearing a transparency design 29 which may be photographically or otherwise printed or produced thereon, preferably upon the rearwar-d surface thereof as shown.

Sheet 25 is formed of a material which is adapted to transmit suflicient light to render visible the design thereon, but is preferably sufficiently opaque to make the design invisible when the device is illuminated only by external light. The design 26 may be in black and white or in any desired combination of colors, the sheet 25 being either white or of any other desired color. The edge portions of sheet 25 may be glued or otherwise secured to frame IB.

The panel 9 is also provided with a surface covering 21 of silk or other suitable fabric secured to frame Iii in front of the sheet 25, and said surface covering may be formed to provide any desired surface ornamentation or trimming effect. For example, said surface covering is shown in Fig. 1 as being gathered to provide a plurality of raised corrugations or ridges 2B radiating from a common point and tapering outwardly to provide what is commonly termed a ray effect. A border 29 of ruching or other suitable trimming means may also be secured over the edge portions of the covering 21. Said covering 21 is also translucent by transmitted light, but is preferably of such texture as to assist in concealing the design 26 when viewed only under external light. In order to hold the sheet 25 and fabric covering 21 in flat position, I also prefer to provide a supporting plate 3| of glass leads from said light bulb to a suitable point,

or other suitable transparent or translucent material, secured to the frame IIJ rearwardly of the sheet 25.

A source of light is provided within the lid and rearwardly of the sheet 25 bearing the trans- 5 parency design. Said source of light 'is shown as comprising an electric light bulb 32 mounted on a bracket 33 secured to the rear wall 5 of the lid, and a suitable connecting cord or cable 34 10 preferably outside the casket, for connection to a lighting circuit or other suitable source of electric current. It will be understood, however, that the electric light bulb may be energized, if desired, by means of an electric battery positioned within the 15 lid or within the casket. Also, any desired number of electric light bulbs or other sources of light may be provided, and the same may be disposed in any desired positions, so as to provide for proper illumination of the transparency design 26 by 20 transmitted light.

Any desired design may be used, such as a design of religious significance or any emblem of a lodge or fraternal order. By making the panel 9 removable, it is possible to provide the same casket and lid with any one of a number of different designs which may be interchangeably secured to the lid.

When the light source 32 is illuminated, the light therefrom is transmitted through the transparency design 26, so that said design is visible through the translucent sheet 25 and the fabric covering 21, causing said design to appear in a somewhat diffused or softened light, giving a very novel and pleasing effect. However, when the light source 32 is not illuminated, the design 26 is completely concealed by the fabric covering 21 and by the sheet 25. Thus, when illuminated only by external light, said design is completely invisible, and the lid has the conventional appearance of a trimmed or decorated casket lid of the usual type, displaying only the surface ornamentation or trimming with which said lid is provided. An advantage of this feature of the invention is that the lid, including the panel with its surface u, covering and external decoration, may be used either with or without the visible appearance of the transparency design 25.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and '7, the transparency design is provided by 50 the combined use of a sheet 31 of cardboard or other opaque medium, having portions cut out as indicated at 38 to provide the main outline of the design, and a sheet of paper or other suitable material 39 disposed in front of said cardboard 55' sheet and bearing surface shading or other desired detailed portions of the design, as shown at 40. In this case also, the fabric covering 21 is provided in front of the transparency design and a plate 3I of glass or other transparent or trans- 00 lucent material may also be provided behind the transparency design in order to hold the same in flat position.

The transparency design may also be formed and mounted in other ways. For example, as 65 shown in Figs. 8 and 9, a transparency design, such as indicated at 4 I, either in black and white or in any desired combination of color, may be applied directly to the forward face of a plate 42 of transparent or translucent glass or other mate- 70 rial secured within the frame I0, and a sheet 43 of paper or other material of suitable translucence may be mounted in front of said design, the Whole being covered as before by the fabric surface covering 21, and the combined sheet 43 and fabric 'I5 21 being of such translucence and opacity as to render the design 4I visible by light transmitted from the rear side thereof but invisible when the panel is illuminated only from the forward side thereof.

Another arrangement is shown in Figs. 10 and 1l, in which the transparency design 45 is applied to the rear surface of a transparent or translucent glass plate 46 mounted within the frame l0. The glass plate 46 may be formed of translucent glass of a proper degree of opacity, such as milk glass or opal glass (opalin), or may be formed of transparent glass provided with a frosted front surface as indicated at 4l in Fig. 12, or a sheet of translucent paper or the like may be placed in front of the glass in the same manner as in Figs. 8 and 9, the whole being again covered with fabric as shown at 21. Another obvious modification of this arrangement is to provide the forward face of the glass plate 45 with a partially reflecting mirror surface adapted to transmit sufficient light to render the transparency design visible upon illumination from within but of sufficient light reflecting power so that, in conjunction with the fabric covering 21, it will render the design substantially invisible by external illumination only.

I claim:

1. In a burial casket, a lid having a forward face, a panel removably secured to said lid and extending over a portion of said forward face, a source of light within the lid and behind said panel, said panel comprising a transparency design and translucent means disposed in front of said design and of such light-transmitting characteristics as to render said design visible when illuminated by light transmitted from said source but substantially invisible upon illumination from the forward side of said translucent means, said translucent means comprising a fabric covering over the front of said panel and a light diffusing medium disposed between said fabric covering and said transparency design, said light diifusing 10 medium having a substantially continuous smooth forward face free from design.

2. In a. burial casket, a lid having a forward face, a panel removably secured to said lid and extending over a portion of said forward face, a source of light within said lid and behind said panel, said lid being provided with a fabric covering extending over the forward face thereof and outside the area of said panel, said panel comprising a transparency design and translucent means disposed in front of said design and of such light-transmitting characteristics as to render said design visible vwhen illuminated by light transmitted from said source but substantially invisible upon illumination from the forward side of said translucent means, said translucent means including a covering of fabric disposed over the front of said panel, whereby said panel is caused to appear simply as a portion of the f abrio-covered forward face of said lid when not illuminated by light from said source.

REUBEN S. MINKEL. 

